God With Us #2: A Gray Truck on a Silver Platter

 

"The heart of a man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." ~ Proverbs 16:9 ~

When we first got the idea that full-timing was something we wanted to do, we had a Ford F-150 and a 7-seater Expedition. The initial thought was that since our truck didn’t fit our whole family, we would need to use the SUV as our tow vehicle. Once we decided that a bumper-pull was a no-go, however, Justin was in the market for an upgrade to his truck. He did extensive research and scoured the web for F-250s, especially looking for one that came with a fifth-wheel tow package already set up. Unfortunately, though, coming off the back of the “supply chain” issues and the strange Covid wipeout of newer vehicles altogether left us with a limited selection and ridiculously high prices. Justin was at one point eyeing a truck in Texas (private party sale), but once he was gearing up to make an offer, he learned that they had just increased the price by $5k the night before. It was disheartening to say the least. 

Another discouraging event happened around the same time-frame, when Justin (on a rare occasion) decided to take all 4 kids with him on an Amazon Flex route which usually would take just over an hour or an hour and a half to complete. He pulled up for his assignment and was given a round of deliveries down in Pueblo, a whole 50 miles south of the Springs. It ended up being a 140+ mile route that took over 3 hours to finish, making just the same dollar amount he would have staying in town. 

Although filled with frustration at the circumstances (tired, whiny kids in the car and an extra long work shift to complete), Justin tried to make the most of it by stopping by a dealership that happened to carry a Jayco Northpoint model we were considering at the time. Although they had just closed a few minutes earlier, they let him come in and tour a couple trailers on the lot. With his spirits lifted and feeling reassured that this was the right next step for our family, he decided to take the kids on the back road to the interstate on his way home. 

The Good Lord just so happened to direct him right by a Ford F-350 truck for sale at the side of the road/in someone’s yard. He noticed, turned back to check it out and spoke to the owner’s brother about it for a few minutes. It started snowing and then the truck’s owner showed up and proceeded to show Justin the truck. It wasn’t listed anywhere online, and it happened to have a fifth wheel tow package already installed. 

To recap: God led Justin off the beaten path, using an unwanted delivery route in the general direction of an RV dealership He prompted him to visit, in order to reinvigorate his outlook and send him on a road he wouldn’t ordinarily travel on to pass by a truck he wasn’t specifically looking for. It turned out to be a better truck and a better deal. For the same price we were looking at paying for an F-250, we got a F-350 (something we hadn’t even considered but are SO thankful we ended up with), we got a Lariat instead of an XLT, a B&W 20k fifth-wheel hitch, a brand new gooseneck ball, and a chrome B&W towing receiver hitch “thrown in.” We also needed it to seat 6, and although it had been very difficult to find a truck with an additional seat in the front row, this one just happened to have one. 

Finally, we had also been concerned about selling the F-150 truck we already owned outright, so that we would have the funds to purchase the new vehicle (but not have to go without a vehicle if we sold it too soon). Long story short, Justin ended up selling his truck for cash exactly 1 hour before making the purchase of the new truck, and for exactly half the amount of the new purchase price. The trucks had the same mileage too! 

God so wonderfully works things together in ways we could never think of ourselves. He orders our steps and gives us good gifts, even when we can’t always see it in the fog of our own disappointments. He is with us, always!!